Khalistan Operatives’ Recent Fatal Closure On Foreign Soil: Terrorist Nijjar And Others

In a move that has stirred diplomatic tensions, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the extraordinary step of expelling a top diplomat on Monday amid a probe into alleged credible links to the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent supporter of Khalistan. However, Trudeau’s decision has drawn sharp criticism from the Indian government, which has labelled the allegations of India’s involvement in any violent act on Canadian soil as “absurd and motivated.”

Death of Nijjar and other Khalistan supporters on foreign land

The death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar unfolded on June 18, 2023, outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Two unidentified gunmen opened fire at Nijjar, 45, as he was preparing to leave in his vehicle from the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. Nijjar, who was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), carried a substantial reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head in India.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar had been designated a ‘terrorist’ by India under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in July 2020, and his property in the country was targeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in September 2020. Additionally, an Interpol Red Corner Notice had been issued against him in 2016.

Local police in Surrey had previously placed Nijjar under temporary house arrest in 2018 due to suspicions of his involvement in terrorism, but he was subsequently released.

Nijjar’s background is entwined with some of the most high-profile terror cases in India during the first decade of the millennium. These include the Shingar Cinema bomb blast in Ludhiana in 2007 and the assassination of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat President Rulda Singh in Patiala in 2009. Nijjar initially operated within the Babbar Khalsa group but later switched allegiance to the Pakistan-based fugitive Jagtar Singh Tara’s Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). During his time with the KTF, Nijjar reportedly received training in the fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and the handling of high-end firearms.

Avtar Singh Khanda

Nijjar’s death occurred just days after the death of Avtar Singh Khanda, another prominent figure in the Khalistan movement. Khanda, also known as Ranjodh Singh, was a close associate of Amritpal Singh and led the London unit of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). His demise occurred at Sandwell Hospital in Birmingham, United Kingdom (UK), on June 15, 2023. Khanda had been implicated in orchestrating the attack on the Indian High Commission in London and was considered the mastermind behind the lowering of the Indian tricolour at the Indian High Commission on March 19, 2023.

It has been alleged in Khalistani circles that the sudden death of Khanda may have been engineered by Nijjar who could not tolerate being overshadowed and captured by international headlines by Khanda.

Paramjit Singh Panjwar

The chief of the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) and designated terrorist under UAPA, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, was killed on May 6, 2023. Unidentified assailants shot Panjwar near his residence in Lahore, Pakistan. Panjwar had been accused by the Indian government of a range of illegal activities, including arranging arms training, promoting the drug trade, smuggling counterfeit Indian currency notes, inciting minority groups against the government, and attempting to reactivate former militants, sleeper cells, and individuals on bail to form a nexus with other forces hostile to India. The KCF had been classified as a terrorist organisation under the UAPA.